Funding of audit of maternal and perinatal deaths has been suspended, UK agency reports

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As a lay trustee of the Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries, I
share the alarm of clinicians and epidemiologists over the decision to
suspend the National Confidential Enquiries into Maternal and Perinatal
deaths in order to 'review' them. This does a grave disservice to all
pregnant women and their babies. Why the break in continuity when CMACE
could have continued the work in the meantime, mitigating the haemorrhage
of expertise and valuable information?

Additionally, there is enormous concern over the axing of the CMACE
Child Head Injury Project, two thirds of the way through the study. CMACE
offered to complete this work (excluded from the tender process) at no
cost to the National Patient Safety Agency, but has instead been required
to hand over the data. Investment of approximately six hundred thousand
pounds of public money, with contributions from charities including the
NSPCC will be wasted. According to the NPSA, the study findings may be
superseded by the Safe and Sustainable Review of neurosurgery. Conversely,
according to the clinicians involved in this review, the evidence obtained
from this study will be highly relevant to their recommendations to
improve quality of care!

These perverse decisions must be reversed. Otherwise, the only
conclusion I can reach is that the coalition government fears robust
independent audit of the quality of health service provision.
Regrettably, the losers will be patients and their families.